A Cinderella Story
by BlurryRabbitz
Summary: On one specific day, every year, Queen Lillian hosts a music festival where musicians all across the world come and play their music. On that faithful day, Prince Piper is drawn to a girl with a violin.


"Prince Piper, you are hereby granted permission from Queen Lillian, that you can attend the after party with the a-a-a-adults." A page named Sir, stuttered, as he quickly dabs his forehead with a handkerchief before looking back at the tiny yellow parchment letter. His short cut –clean blond hair was soaked in sweat. And his uniform has already gotten wrinkled by bending over to breathe. Piper didn't care less of ever meeting up with adults. He cared more about the strange and different instruments for this year event. On August 12th, gypsies and musicians come from across the country and even further away, come to perform their music to the Queen and the Prince. For years ever since his father and husband to the queen, passed away, he was forbidden to ever go near the after party with the adults and wonderous instruments that he strained to listen. The saddest part about the prince, is that not only that he has no voice, his mother forbidden him to ever play his long silver instrument. She would say that if he ever played it near her, she would break down crying, and it would remind her of the King.

Piper gripped his long silver flute, with a strange dial at the end of it. His father, King Harold, has given it to him before he passed away. He said to him when he was just a boy, "Piper, my dear boy, this was a gift from the spirit of divine music. They gave this to me because they saw great endeavors, but also saw unfortunate compassion in my life. At first, I didn't want it, but with this flute, I can find happiness where ever I go. I can play anything I want. And now, it is my gift to you, Piper." His words echoed inside Piper's head, and he shakes the feeling of grief that was overwhelming inside of him.

'If mother wanted me to know this, why couldn't she tell that to me herself?' Piper thought to himself, as he got off the window pane. He strolled pass the page and out the door. Sir shouted out to him, but the prince was long gone. Sir sighed deeply before scurrying around the castle for tonight's party.

The Prince headed to the back door of the castle and walked to a greenhouse where his father's favorite garden, which is now his favorite garden. An old rusty fountain of three lovely mermaids holding conch shells, lie in the center of the garden, collecting dust. While around the area, rows and rows of flowerbeds with different colors lined in a circle. A few willow trees gave shade in every few corners of the garden. A few large ponds with lily pad floated gently, while frogs and tadpoles swim freely and singling in peace; and the aroma was just breathtaking. It smelt like peaches and strangely pickles. Dad's favorite food. At times, this garden left Piper in tears. A memoir of his father being told by his mother whenever she got lonely, and sat near the lily pads. Little Piper would sit in his mother's lap, listening to the stories again and again. Piper choked back several sobs, as the memories swayed away into the past.

"I knew you would be here, before the party would start." Someone says behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Her voice was already familiar; his mother walked up to him and rested her hand onto his shoulder. She rubbed his shoulder before bringing her arms around him in a tight hug. Piper could tell that she, too, has been thinking of coming here, sit by the lily pond, and miss her beloved husband. "Come," she sniffled, "let's get back inside. The party would be starting soon." The queen patted him on the back lightly, as she left him alone in the garden. Piper took one last glance at the garden before he headed back inside the castle, as a full moon dwells at the tip of the mountains in the south. Stars began poking their celestial bodies through the dark velvet skies. Hours flew by the Kingdom of Far, Far Away. Little violet eyes watched the castle before they vanished into the darkness.

The noise inside the ballroom was medium. Not too loud, and not too soft. People from across the country and even further away, came to greet the Queen and her son and to present them with fine music. They dressed up in different garment, all various kinds of pigments and styles. The queen, who dressed in a long cute pink carnation flower pattern gown with white cuffs at her wrists, was pleased by their sense of fashion. The Prince, on the other hand wore a fine navy blue gentleman clothes with violet lining in stripes on his shoulders, was bored and was dying to hear something else to lift his spirits. His eyes would flash at the sound of glass clinking together, little kids giggling and whispering to each other, and old ladies humming softly to themselves. Time was clicking by and he wasn't suited to sit this long without playing a toot from his flute. Soon, a line formed in front of the room, and a small stage was created for the performers. People hauled up their personal instruments that they either created, or bought from sellers outside of the kingdom. Piper was ready for a concert, sitting and watching as people walked by bored him to death.

Several people performed, but none were good enough to please the prince. A couple of performers played the piano, a classic instrument, but not enough. Others were playing the flute, that got him a bit amused, but still not enough. The rest were wind, string, or percussion instrument, that didn't really interested the prince. He tapped his mother's shoulder, signing to her that he was going to leave, and will be up in his room if anybody would be needing him. She nodded to him, uncertain of her son's feelings toward the party. Usually, when the prince was young, he _yearned_ to come to the party and watch the concert. But, tonight, he was feeling apathetic, and she watched her son got up and kissed her hand, before heading towards the large oak doors that lead outside the ballroom.

He was halfway down the ballroom when he accidently bumped into a girl with pure white hair that has light blue streaks as highlights. A lambent blue hairclip hanged on her left side of her hair. It was strange to see this kind of hairstyle with a natural hair color. The girl's head looked up to see who she bumped into and she gave a small gasp to him. Piper has never seen such enchanting violet eyes, staring up at him. He noticed that she was carrying a string instrument white case. The initials saying M.E. "Oh," she took a step back, "please forgive my rudeness, sir." At the sound of the page's name, he looked up from his conservation and tried to see who called him. The girl bowed her head and said sorry, before rushing off into the crowd of brightly dressed people. Piper watched her snow white hair weaving through the crowd, as he realized that she was going to perform soon. He quickly thought to himself if he wanted to listen to her or not. Hell, one more won't hurt, will it? Therefore, he moved in and between the crowds before sitting back down in his seat.

The Queen glanced at him, "Piper, you're back. Changed your mind?" she asked him, petting his forearm to make sure everything was okay. Piper nodded and smiled to his mother. They turned back to the party as they quieted down for the next performer. There were whispering about the performer, that she had white hair with blue highlights, and her style of clothing seemed a bit odd considering they were not party material. The girl bowed her head to the crowd and to both the queen and the prince, after she opened her white violin case. The violin itself was made of fine elf wood. Its strings looked like some horse's hair that was dyed crystal blue. She tuned her violin before playing a scale. The girl smiled slightly, as she placed her bow onto the strings. The bow took one smooth stride onto the strings, and the violin sang out a melancholy tune. As if her song was enhanced, the whole ballroom was strangely quiet. The crowd seemed like they were under a great and depressing spell. The song sounded like happiness had gone far away, and was replaced by forlorn feelings and a cold reality. As if a world was deserted and wasn't filled with hope and joy. Both the queen and prince sat there, lost in a daydream. Fantasying their world just like the song described its own world. No more murmuring and whispering, the crowd stayed silent. When the song ended, the girl bowed, put away her violin and left the stage. The ballroom itself stayed silent for a long good forty-five minutes. And then it just went back to the usual party.

Snapped away from the depressing daydream, the prince looked around for the girl, but she was nowhere to be found. The queen asked a waiter to bring her wine, for she needed something to cheer her mood up. She turned around to face her son, but she realized that he slipped away from the party. The queen frowned slightly before being drawn into the party once more. The prince briskly walked through the ballroom and out the large oaked doors. He searched the corridors and asked (with his flute) a few guards if they have seen a girl with snow white hair, and carrying a violin. But they just frowned at him, while shaking their heads and apologizing to him. Before continuing his search for the mysterious girl, his eyes spotted a glittering object at the end of the hallway. The prince ran towards the glittering object and realized it was the hairpin that belonged to the mysterious girl.


End file.
